An audition for a radio serial following the adventures of Jack Benny's valet, Rochester. Unfortunately, the series didn't get picked up, but these two auditions give us a sample of what might been.

Stars Eddie "Rochester" Anderson and Frank Nelson.


This audio is part of the collection: Old Time Radio
It also belongs to collection: Radio Programs

Keywords: Old Time Radio; Private Life of Rochester Jones; Rochester

Creative Commons license: Public Domain Mark 1.0

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Reviewer: menno4000 - - April 14, 2011
Subject: Not quite up to par
Eddie Anderson was great on Jack Benny's show, but here the format comes across as muddled. Having Anderson as a bill collector working for Frank Nelson doesn't quite work. On the Jack Benny Program Anderson regularly deflated the comic pomposity and stinginess that Benny portrayed. What he gets to do here didn't measure up and was not funny enough.

Reviewer: human - - February 19, 2011
Subject: An amazing rarity
This is a pretty amazing piece of radio history and incredibly well preserved at that. The sound quality is absolutely sterling. Hard to believe it dates from 1950.

Reviewer: Jonnie King - - February 12, 2011
Subject: NOT QUITE THERE...
I always loved Rochester as a member of Benny's cast. Always great retorts, given good lines in the script, and, always a very competent pro with great timing.

I'll first state that the quality of these shows is excellent ! AND, as long as I've been involved in Golden Age Radio I'd NEVER heard them before...so thank you SO much for the additions.

However, after having said that, I think I can see why the show didn't work: Eddie Anderson as "Rochester" works MUCH BETTER in small doses than as the "lead" character. Again, this is nothing against Anderson, but it just didn't work with him carrying the whole show.

I also give credit to CBS for "sustaining" sponsorship of the show...you wouldn't find ANY Network today doing that ! (Even almost every pitch in a Televised baseball game today has a sponsor: "Folks, that last curveball was brought to you by Bud Light...and this next pitch is courtesy of KIA !")

Again, thank you so much for the opportunity to hear these Super RARE broadcssts.

Jonnie King